Snape

[woodface]

I'm rereading HBP for some reason and I keep trying to look for ways to prove that Snape isn't all that evil. Which is stupid considering that, you know, he killed Dumbledore. It's just that I refuse to believe that Dumbledore was so mistaken in him. There's just got to be more!

I had this stupid theory that maybe Dumbledore knew exactly what was going to happen. Maybe Snape and him knew that Voldemort was getting on to them and that in order for Snape to keep his vital position close to Voldemort, there would have to be some sacrifice. I also think that Dumbledore was dying. That the fact that his hand wouldn't heal was just the beginning of it and that Dumbledore knew it all too well and thought that his death at the hands of Snape would be more useful.

And then I remember that I'm insane because Snape KILLED DUMBLEDORE! I just was so disappointed that a character that was so much invested in turned out to be exactly what it looked like he was. *sulks*

Comments

[christinenj.livejournal.com]

Actually that's pretty much the same theory I've been clinging to. That he knew there was going to have to be a sacrifice and he was willing to be it. Otherwise, it's too depressing.

[woodface]

We must be right then!

*pokes Rowling to hurry up with the next book already*

[fried-flamingo.livejournal.com]

Totally agree! There's definitely something happening that we don't know about. I think the idea of Dumbledore sacrificing himself makes total sense. He may have known that he was of more use to the fight against Voldemort dead than alive and that Harry is now strong enough to carry on the battle by himself, without Dumbledore's guidance.

Even after I finished the HBP I wasn't convinced of Snape's evilness.

[woodface]

*clings to people with the same theory omg*

[nakedtoes.livejournal.com]

Oh, I absolutely agree. If it's not proved that he killed D for the greater good in the 7th book, I'm going to be staring at the last page and going, 'but where's the rest that makes it all make sense?'

[woodface]

*starts up campaign already just to be sure*

[slarti.livejournal.com]

I alternately like the idea that Snape and Dumbledore somehow worked out some sort of magical fake-out, so that Dumbledore, now officially "dead", could go underground and work in secret.

("Ten years ago, a crack wizard team was sent to prison by the Wizengamot for a crime they did not commit. These wizards promptly escaped from maximum-security Azkaban to the London underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as wizards of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The D-Team.")

Also, I still think it would've been funnier, particularly since there's a line in the book that opens things up for the joke, for the Half-Blood Prince to have been... Utena Tenjou.

[jacksrubberduck.livejournal.com]

These wizards promptly escaped from maximum-security Azkaban to the London underground.

...and if you can find them

Did they get lost on the tube?

[slarti.livejournal.com]

...Crap. In the process of following the "A-Team" opening narration format, I'd forgotten that London has a pre-existing connotation to the word "underground". But, anyway, no, the idea would be more that the D-Team would be hard to find, because they're on the run and Albus "Hannibal" Dumbledore assumes a variety of guises to screen potential clients to make sure they're not part of a government trap. :-)

[jacksrubberduck.livejournal.com]

Heh. Never mind, it's actually funnier when you have a mental image of a bunch of wizards running around trying to figure out the tube maps. :)

Or possibly I've just finally cracked and lost the plot.

[zorb]

I'm completely convinced that Snape's a good guy. He was under an Unbreakable Vow, after all, and I think the overheard conversation between him and Dumbledore was about him needing to fulfill it. Plus, there's the Legilimency factor - the two of them looked right at one another before Snape did the deed, and Dumbledore could very well have been telling him to go for it. And if Snape were really evil, he would've attacked Harry when they were running away at the end, not just blocked him.

Actually, as I was reading this post, we were about to record a SpellCast review of "Any Means Necessary" which is about exactly this subject, although a little more with the Manipulative!Dumbledore than I think is canon.

[woodface]

Oooooo! Interesting thought. I'm not yet at the overheard conversation, but I'll have to keep that in mind!

[bibliophile81.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure Rowling said that Snape isn't evil. I think it was during that reading in New York a few months back. Let's see ...

Ah. Here we go. From Mugglenet:

"Author Salman Rushdie, along with his son, came to ask, after a detailed theory, if Snape is good or bad. Jo replied that "your opinion was correct." Rushdie's opinion, unfortunately, was hard to follow."

http://www.mugglenet.com/app/category/show/12

Hmmm. I tend to think Snape isn't evil.

And I have just realized that I don't have an HP icon loaded at the moment. Woe is me. Yet another reason to get that paid account.

[woodface]

Hee! Cool!

I'm going to resist any urges to try to look for spoilers, though. I want to go in blind! But I'm so clinging to my theory!

[bibliophile81.livejournal.com]

Oh, I didn't know you were avoiding interviews and stuff. Sorry.

But then, given Jo's skill at making cryptic responses, it wasn't all that spoilerish. :D

[alliesings.livejournal.com]

This is something that Hubby and I have an ongoing disagreement over. I firmly believe that Snape, while not exactly good, isn't as bad as it would take to murder Dumbledore in cold blood. Hubby sees the ending of HBP as proof of Snape's evilness, and wonders why I keep on wanting to redeem him in fanfic. I will keep on redeeming him in fanfic until I've had it all out, because I see a lot of room for that. I don't know how I'll feel if JKR does something horrible to him at the end, but I'm just about obsessed with the bad boy right now.